Guest Blogger: How to Choose the Right Storage for your Powder Room

Guest Blogger #336, Entry #908, January 20, 2012

Given how small powder rooms typically tend to be, they can be tricky when it comes to accommodating all the things a good powder room needs, and storage is one area in particular that can prove quite challenging. However, with a little bit of planning and creative thinking you can make the most of the limited space available.

How much storage do you need in your powder room?

Image via: House Beautiful

Firstly, it’s important to remember that powder rooms are quite often used by guests as opposed to the regular members of the household and therefore the room should be relatively clutter free. Guests don’t want to see your toothbrushes and hair combs lying around and you certainly won’t want to be running around the house looking for items that should actually be in the main bathroom. So keeping your powder room free of personal items is a good start as there is less to store in the first place.

So what does need to be stored in the powder room and therefore what is the right storage solution for those items?

All powder rooms need a good supply of hand towels, face washers, soap and toilet paper so guests are never left in the awkward position of having to ask. Tissues are another thoughtful addition as is a waste bin for your guests.

If you’re a very busy person with a powder room that gets used quite frequently by guests and even family members, you could benefit by storing your basic cleaning items within the powder room itself too. That way, as soon as things get grubby you can give a quick swish and swipe and keep the powder room ‘guest ready’ virtually all the time.

Choose the right storage for your guest bathroom

Image via: House Beautiful

So what is the right storage solution for this array of items that need a permanent place in the powder room?

Well when it comes to items that your guests need to use, it really is a nice idea to have them stored in a way that guests can see them or find them easily. Most visitors won’t feel comfortable poking around inside cupboards or spending longer in your powder room than is necessary, so make it easy for everyone to find supplies, they’re sure to appreciate it.

A bathroom accessories set that includes a large luxurious soap dispenser and toilet roll storage container is a perfect way to ensure guests have what they need. Even a large cylindrical glass vase can make for a wonderful toilet roll storage vessel that can be placed in a corner that is not a focal point but not hidden completely from view either.

For all those plush hand towels and face washers that are at the ready, open shelving is a great way to store them. For soaps, why not select a large style soap dish to store extra bars of delicate soaps on.

As for any cleaning products you might like to keep stored in the room, it’s important that these items remain out of sight. Most powder rooms are so small however that a floating hand basin is usually a preferred option to a vanity that would normally offer a good amount of storage. One clever way to tuck your cleaning goods out of sight but still keep them handy, is to choose a deluxe mirror that includes a storage solution at the rear. Many good bathroom supply stores will have a range of options such as this for you to choose from. If you want to go a step further, why not choose a unique mirror and then have a cabinet-maker marry it with a wall mounted ‘secret cabinet’.

Finding the right storage solution for the powder room isn’t difficult, it just requires a little bit of thought about who will frequent the room regularly and what functions the room needs to deliver on for those users. You can be certain that whatever your storage needs are; there are solutions at all good bathroom supply stores to serve your every desire.

Tauseef Hussain is an interior decorator and social media blogger for Bathroom Furniture, the online shop for Bathroom Storage and home décor fixtures (for UK citizens)

For more bedroom & living ideas on Stagetecture, click here.